Ministry-to-Children.com

I'm now writing over at Ministry-to-children.com - which, in my opinion is the premier website resource for those in children's ministry. The site gets over 2,000 hits a day. You can check out my first post on that website here.

I plan to be writing on the site about once a week.

Children Like Singing Dogs

Looking for a source of moral entertainment for your kids during long car drives? Look no further...

Sir Bernard the Good Knight

HT: Justin Taylor

The Three Duties of a Pastor

Can you guess which one I'm best, good, and 'okay' at? (Shouldn't be too hard for those that know me)

A Prayer for My Wife

My Gracious Master,

Cause my delightful wife to work out her own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing all the while that it is You who work in her, both to will and to work for Your good pleasure.

May she rejoice in You always, and let her reasonableness be known to everyone. Please let her not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving may she make known her requests to You. And all this so that Your peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard her precious heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Finally Father, make her think on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, on anything of excellence, and anything worthy of praise. Through Your Son and for Your glory I ask these things. Amen.

The above prayer can be found in Andrew Case's book, Water of the Word: Intercession for Her. A book that instructs husbands on how to pray for their wife. Check it out.

HT: Justin Taylor

No, Mr. President...

Have to love John Piper's passion.

Imagine Life Without...

I thought this was a great video. Imagine the world if these people's mothers chose the alternative to adoption...

HT: JD Greear

Complaining: A Rejection of God

Complaining. Ironically, parents complain that one of the areas of parenting that is most frustrating to them is when their children complain. Funny, isn't it? Not really. Complaining is a problem and is a problem for several reasons:

1. Complaining is a problem because it reflects a selfish heart - When a child, or adult, complains, oftentimes it is because that child has not gotten 'their way.' The prophet Jeremiah lamented, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Because of a sick and selfish heart children, as well as adults, complain and complaints cause much discord among people.

2. Complaining is a problem because it reflects a lack of faith- Oftentimes people complain when they do not receive certain things and/or rights. This is a problem because God has freely given all of his people all that they need in Christ Jesus, and complaining about certain situations reveals a heart that is not truly grateful for what Jesus has supplied to them: that is a ticket away from Hell to all of those that call upon His name.

3. Complaining is a problem because it reflects a rebellious spirit - Many times children complain because they do not think that their parents are parenting correctly. If you've ever heard them say, "That's not fair" you know what I mean. Also, adults do the very same thing at their jobs, in the church, and in the world in general. When a leader or a person under authority is not leading as they see fit, some people inevitably complain.

In Numbers 11, the Jews had just started their desert trek and were eagerly anticipating their arrival into the promised land. At this point, they had been out of Egypt for only about a year. As a part of his divine provision, God had miraculously provided manna (directly from Heaven!) as their food. The Jews became quite industrious and discovered many ways to make and serve the manna. However, the people started thinking about all of the wonderful food they had while they were slaves in Egypt and they started to crave meat. They started to complain to Moses to ask that God would give them meat. So, God game them meat. In fact, Scripture says:

"Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him..." (Numbers 11:19-20 ESV)

Here we see that lastly, complaining is a rejection of the Lord. The Lord, in His great wisdom and sovereignty, has placed children and parents at certain places, particular times, and unique events for his glory. He is completely in control. To complain means to reject the Lord's blessing and plan for your life.

This is a lesson we all need to hear - lest the Lord gives us what we think we want and as a consequence, we have it come out of our nostrils...

Education Under Seige

Here is an enlightening video of how the public school system has been infiltrated, and now controlled, by anti-Christian (read not morally neutral) beliefs.

The first few minutes are slow. Fast forward to the 5:33 mark. She quotes Benjamin Bloom, the pioneer of the modern educational system. Here are some of his quotes:

"The purpose of education is to change the thoughts, actions, and feelings of students."

"Good teaching is challenging the students' fixed beliefs."

If you are a Christian and have children and this doesn't scare you I don't know what will.

HT: Voddie

Emily - A Proverbs 31 Woman

I've taken the liberty to re-arrange Proverbs 31 and personalize it as an ode to my wife on Mother's Day. I love you, Emily! (She is so modest, she'll kill me for this - but she deserves it!)



An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than platinum.
My heart trusts in her,
and I know that I will lose nothing by that
She does me good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
She is always bargain-hunting,
and does what it takes to save a dime.
She is like the UPS man;
she delivers bargains and food from unexpected places.
She wakes up in the middle of the night
to check on crying toddlers and babies.
She considers a deal and buys it;
with what she saves she produces many good things.
She's a strong woman
and it is evident to those who know her.
She wisely saves (and makes) the family extra money.
She's up all night making sure the family is taken care of.
She is industrious
doing whatever it takes to not be wasteful
She is extremely generous
and always puts others before herself.
She is not afraid of any potential emergencies or disasters,
for all her household is always prepared.
She makes up the bed by herself;
she looks good in her beautifully modest clothes.
Because of her I enjoy a good reputation
by people who know me.
She goes online and prints off coupons;
she does this even at obscure sites.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the future.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
and is never idle.
Her children awake and the morning and greet her with a smile;
I do as well and I praise her:
"Many women have done excellently,
but Emily surpasses them all."
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but Emily, who fears the LORD, is to be praised.
Give her her reward
and let her works praise her among God and man.

7 Ideas for Teaching Toddlers God's Word

Here are some tips in teaching toddler's God's Word:

1. Have an open Bible on your lap during story time. This reinforces where the story comes from—God's word.

2. Use short sentences and few words. Too many words overwhelm young minds.

3. Be animated in your facial expressions and tone of voice. This will help keep children engaged.

4. Incorporate movement into the story and singing. Children this age need to move their bodies. Movement helps them learn and remember what you're teaching them.

5. Create routines during the story/circle times by using songs, finger plays, etc.

6. Use repetition to cement biblical concepts in children's hearts and minds.

7. Keep it short and sweet. A story time of 5-10 minutes is the maximum children this age can attend to and sit for.

HT: Abraham Piper